NI covers degrading environment and indigenous people’s life in the Arctic in the July/August 2009 issue.

It shows changing environment, animals' life and of course indigenous people’s life too resulted from rising temperature, melting ice and intensifying climate.

Meanwhile, not so surprising news came out. German ships successfully went through the Northeast passage of the Arctic last month. It was the first successful navigation for western commercial ships. BBC shows the news video.

For past 30 years, the extent of the Arctic's sea ice in summer has gradually decreased. In the summer of 2007, the extent was smallest since 1978 when the satellite observation has started. In 2008, it was the second smallest, and this year recorded the third smallest extent according to Global Ice Center.

It is good news for shipping companies. For example, for the navigation from Asia to Europe, they currently use Suez Canal for 20,000km or go via the south tip of the African continent for 28,000km. But the Northeast passage is only 13,000km, so they can save a lot of fuel and days.

But bad news for the indigenous people there. On the website of a Japanese newspaper, you can look some photos which show changing life of the people.

It is too bad that once temperature goes up and ice is disappeared, their life style and culture, which based on ice and cold climate environment, have to be changed. There is no place like the Arctic.

When the indigenous people in the Arctic think about their alternative place to live, where can they go? Can they find any place like the South Pacific islanders, who are affected by sea level rising due to global warming, look for similar living environment and climate escaped from the islands and immigrate into nearby countries? Or do they have to go to the Antarctic?

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